My brother's friend played for Benoni Northerns against NWU at the Club Champs. He said when Van der Dussen came out to bat they thought he was useless and crawled his way to 50. He reckons they were happy that he hadn't got out as he was batting slowly. My brother's friend he got from 50 to 90 in less than 20 balls, and only didn't get 100 because he ran himself out.

He'll get a good run next season at the top of the order for the Lions I think, especially in the T20 stuff.

Pretty chuffed with the off-season 'A' series. Elgar, Rossouw and Hendricks putting in good performances with the bat. Harmer showing all-round abilities and Beuran Hendricks getting up to the next level in his left-arm bowling.

Vincent Barnes on opportunities -

With the exception of Dean Elgar and JP Duminy, don’t expect to see any of the players who recently represented South Africa A against their Australian and Indian counterparts included in the Test squad that faces Pakistan in six weeks time.

And that, according to Vincent Barnes, who coached the SA A team over the past five weeks, is exactly as it should be. It was a largely successful period for the SA A side, who won two of the four first class matches against Australia A and India A, suffering one defeat against the Indians, who fielded a host of star names likely to feature for the senior India side that tours here later this year.

While there were some outstanding individual performances, Barnes feels selectors, coaches and supporters shouldn’t expect too many changes when the squad for the Pakistan Test series is picked on September 8.

“You have to look at the last Test we played; Kyle (Abbott) did very well, Rory (Kleinveldt) did well … the players who’ve done well here (for SA A) must wait their turn,” Barnes remarked. “You’ve got to out-play a player who is in the Test team, and you have to do special things to out-play those players because the Test team is very, very strong at the moment.”

Elgar, of course, was in the starting XI in South Africa’s last Test – an innings and 18 run-win over Pakistan at Centurion – and while he struggled with the bat in that series (averaging 22.66 with a highest score of 27) he’s come back well for SA A in the past few weeks.

Elgar made a double century against Australia and two further half centuries, suggesting the lessons learned from a tough start to his six-Test career are being applied, and Elgar is one who has shown he has the ability to cement his place in the Test side.

In a one-off performance, JP Duminy, who missed virtually all of last summer after rupturing his Achilles in Australia, made 83 against the Indians in Rustenburg and is almost certain to be included in the squad for the Tests in the UAE.

But the “A” series, which also included a triangular one-day tournament, was about the “next best” that South Africa has to offer and for national coach Russell Domingo and his staff – who watched the second four-day match against India A – there were some encouraging signs.

“This has been a great measuring tool,” Barnes explained. “As a coach and selector it gives me an idea where a player is at the moment, some players have put their hands up and moved their careers forward, and some have found it quite hard.”

Rilee Rossouw, Beuran Hendricks and Simon Harmer, were foremost among those who have enhanced their credentials in the last few weeks, while the likes of Temba Bavuma, Stiaan van Zyl and Reeza Hendricks found out how big the gap is between franchise and international cricket.

For the latter group, there are lessons to be applied when they return to their franchises to resume pre-season work, while for left-arm seamer Hendricks and off-spinner Harmer, it’s important to keep their feet on the ground.

“Just in this game alone, I’ve seen (Hendricks) grow tremendously,” said Barnes following, Hendricks’ match return of 11/63 against India A at Pretoria. On Harmer, who took 18 wickets over the course of the four first-class matches, Barnes commented: “We have to be patient with Simon – he’s bowled against very good players of spin on flat decks. He took ‘eight-for’ against Australia, maybe not very good players of spin, but you’ve still got to take your opportunities to take wickets.

“We’ve got to be patient with him, not push him too early. Test cricket is a hard game, you’re going to bowl to people on flat decks in their domain and they will hurt you.”